PNG Earthquake Response Logistics Situation Update (16 April 2018)

reliefweb.int | April 16, 2018

Logistics Operational Updates

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Australian Defence Force (ADF) C-130J was available until 15 April. After the departure of ADF C-130J on 16 April, out of the submitted Request for Assistance (RFA), over 70 MT of WFP and IFRC food and non-food items still require air assistance from Port Moresby to Moro and Mt. Hagen and from Mt. Hagen to Moro.

New Zealand is also considering to partner with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to provide a subsidised flight service in which aid agencies can access, through a booking request system, cargo space with a 50% cost reduction. Funding decisions are due this week, and New Zealand will be able to confirm the outcome at next week’s meeting.

Oil Search Limited (OSL) has granted the use of their Moro facility as a logistics hub for operations to the earthquake affected areas that are only accessible via helicopter. OSL wrote to the Office of the Emergency Controller outlining the scope of their support. A WFP Logistics Officer has been deployed to Moro base as the focal point for coordination in support of the Logistics Working Group.

While many access roads are being re-established, last-mile transport to locations only reachable via helicopter continues to be a major constraint for the response. The Logistics Working Group is working on identifying commercial options to ensure that remote communities can be reached, however it needs the cooperation of the cluster leads to identify those communities.

Researchers mark death of Pearl Harbor mastermind Yamamoto with visit to Bougainville

wtop.com | April 16, 2018 

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A group from the U.S. and Japan is trekking to a remote Pacific island jungle to document what is considered one of the most important wreck sites of World War II: where American fighters shot down a Japanese bomber carrying the mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack.

FILE - This May 21, 1943, file photo shows Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese combined fleet and the mastermind of the attack on Pearl Harbor. A group from the U.S. and Japan is trekking to a remote Pacific island jungle in Papua New Guinea to document what is considered one of the most important wreck sites of World War II: where American fighters shot Yamamoto down 75 years ago. (AP Photo, File)

Three members of a New York-based WWII research organization and a Japanese aviation expert plan to visit the crash site on Bougainville, part of Papua New Guinea, on Wednesday, the 75th anniversary of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s death.
Yamamoto had spent several years in the U.S. earlier in his military career, studying at Harvard University and admiring America’s industrial might. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, he was quite possibly the most hated man in America.
“As long as he lived, the Japanese navy was a threat,” said Donald A. Davis, a Colorado-based writer who told the story of “Operation Vengeance” in a 2005 book. “He was feared in the Pacific.”
Historians generally credit Yamamoto, an innovative proponent of air power, with the idea of attacking the U.S. Pacific fleet and convincing Japanese military leaders that his plan could work. The Dec. 7, 1941, sneak attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor on Hawaii’s Oahu Island killed more than 2,400 people, sunk or damaged 18 ships, destroyed 300 warplanes and drew the U.S. into the war.
Getting Yamamoto became very much a mission of its own.
The big break for the U.S. came on April 13, 1943, when Navy code breakers discovered that Yamamoto planned to tour bases in areas of the Solomon Islands still held by Japanese forces. The admiral’s tour was scheduled for April 18 — just five days away.
U.S. military officials quickly approved an air mission to intercept the admiral’s plane and shoot it down. The task fell to a squadron of Army Air Forces P-38 Lightnings based on Guadalcanal, in the Solomons. After the pilots closely reviewed Yamamoto’s flight plan, 16 P-38s flew 400 miles west and spotted two enemy bombers over Bougainville, another island in the Solomon archipelago.
While some of the P-38s engaged Yamamoto’s fighter escort, other American planes attacked the two bombers. One slammed into the jungle, while the other crashed off shore. Yamamoto, 59, was among 11 men who died in the plane that crashed on land.
Yamamoto’s death was yet another blow to the Japanese after the tide of the Pacific war turned with the American victory at Midway and the taking of Guadalcanal.
Japanese troops recovered Yamamoto’s body, cremated it and sent his ashes back to Japan, where the admiral was given a state funeral.
But Japan didn’t officially announce Yamamoto’s death until weeks later, saying he died aboard a warplane “while directing general strategy on the front line,” according to an Associated Press story on the announcement in Tokyo.
The U.S. military had wanted to keep his death a secret lest the Japanese learn their code had been broken.
But one of the American pilots on the mission had spilled the beans almost immediately, telling everyone upon landing that he had shot down Yamamoto’s plane. (Decades later, historians determined another pilot had fired the fatal burst). As the worst-kept secret in the Pacific spread among American troops, AP correspondent J. Norman Lodge confirmed details of the mission even before the Japanese announcement, but U.S. military censors withheld his story.
The Pentagon didn’t officially release details of the mission until Sept. 11, 1945, nine days after Japan surrendered.
The wreckage of the Yamamoto’s Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bomber remains in the jungle. Most of the plane was destroyed on impact but a large section of the tail survives. Over the decades, parts of the plane were removed and placed in museums.
Justin Taylan, founder of New York-based Pacific Wrecks who has been compiling data on WWII airplane crashes for more than 20 years, said the purpose of visiting the Yamamoto site is to “document the wreckage and perform digital preservation of what remains for posterity.”
The group will commemorate the anniversary at the site with a Shinto religious ceremony conducted by Japanese WWII aircraft expert Yoji Sakaida.
Yamamoto remains a revered figure in Japan, where a museum was established in his honor in his hometown of Nagaoka. Artifacts on display include the left wing from Yamamoto’s aircraft. Museum officials say an annual memorial event will be held Wednesday morning at nearby Yamamoto Memorial Park, where the house in which he was born once stood

Anzac Day services in Papua New Guinea, 2018

Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery

Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) assists the Port Moresby RSL sub branch and the Australian High Commission in the official Anzac Day Dawn Service on Wednesday, 25 April 2018, at Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery.

The commemorative service is open to the public.

Event:
2018 Anzac Day Dawn Service

Date:
Wednesday, 25 April 2018

Time:
5:00 am: Dawn Service commences


Venue:
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea.

Isurava Memorial

DVA, in conjunction with the Australian High Commission, Port Moresby, conducts the official Anzac Day Dawn Service on Wednesday, 25 April 2018, at Isurava Memorial.

Event:
2018 Anzac Day Dawn Service

Date:
Wednesday, 25 April 2018

Time:
5.30am: Dawn Service commences

IFC highlights niche-market investment needed to drive tourism in Papua New Guinea

April 16, 2018

 IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, in partnership with the Tourism Promotion Authority of Papua New Guinea, says new research shows developing niche market tourism has the potential to attract an extra 40,000 tourists to Papua New Guinea, contributing $286 million (K929 million) annually by 2027.
The scenario is part of highlights from an assessment into tourism demand in Papua New Guinea, which IFC launched today in conjunction with the results of the 2017 International Visitor Survey (IVS), which looks into current tourism trends.
The findings show that last year PNG had 86,403 air visitors, who spent around $205 million (K666 million).
Sixty percent of those visitors traveled to the provinces in 2017.
Currently, business travelers make up the highest proportion of people arriving by air in Papua New Guinea, but the research shows holiday tourists are the biggest spenders, outlaying $2859 (K9290) per trip.
“With holiday makers to Papua New Guinea making up only about a quarter of all visitors, it’s clear the country is lagging behind its regional competitors, Fiji and Vanuatu, where tourists account for 75 percent of all visitors,” said John Vivian, IFC Resident Representative to Papua New Guinea.
“Greater investment can help Papua New Guinea boost holiday arrivals and close that gap, increasing revenue, diversifying the economy, and spreading the benefits to rural areas where tourists like to travel.”
The highlights of the demand assessment show how Papua New Guinea could better target tourists from high value niche-markets, including cultural tourism, soft adventure, birdwatching, diving and historical tourism. Collectively, these markets are worth over $970 billion dollars (K3.152 trillon) globally of which Papua New Guinea’s share is about $93.5 million (K304 million).
“Both government and the private sector will need to make long-term investments in infrastructure, capacity building, product development and marketing to realize this change,” said Jerry Agus, CEO of Tourism Promotion Authority.
“If we do this, Papua New Guinea has the potential to become a world-class destination over the next 10 years.”
IFC’s tourism project in Papua New Guinea, supported by Australia and New Zealand under the Papua New Guinea Partnership, is focused on supporting the development of tourism business, improving tourism-related conditions, and helping attract investment in the tourism sector.

About IFC 

IFC—a sister organisation of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. In FY17, we delivered a record $19.3 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to help end poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

Papua New Guinea LNG project resumes exports - data

reuters.com | April 16, 2018

SINGAPORE, April 16 (Reuters) - A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has left Papua New Guinea laden with the first export cargo of the supercooled fuel since the country’s giant LNG project resumed production after a major earthquake triggered a shutdown in February, Thomson Reuters Eikon shiptracking data showed on Monday.
The tanker’s destination wasn’t immediately clear, but the resumption of shipments could put pressure on spot LNG prices, traders said.
ExxonMobil Corp restarted output at the project near the capital Port Moresby a fortnight ahead of schedule, its Australian partners said late last week.
ExxonMobil did not immediately reply to an email requesting for comment on the matter.
The 172,000-cubic metre capacity LNG tanker Kumul, custom-built for the PNG LNG project, left the project terminal with a draft of 91 percent, suggesting it is nearly full, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon shiptracking data.
The Kumul unloaded an LNG cargo at the PNG terminal on April 4. It was anchored nearby until April 14, before loading the cargo from the terminal on April 15, the data showed.
ExxonMobil had said in early April that it had imported an LNG cargo to the project’s terminal in order ensure tanks at the PNG facilities remained cold.
Meanwhile the 170,000-cubic metre capacity LNG tanker Papua is currently anchored near the Kumul Marine Terminal, while the 165,000-cubic metre capacity LNG tanker Bishu Maru is headed to Port Moresby, the Eikon data showed.

Redcliffe account for Hunters

qrl.com.au | April 14, 2018 

The Redcliffe Dolphins overcame a spirited PNG Hunters side at home to claim their fourth victory in a row, winning 20-6.
The Hunters had come to Dolphin Stadium  with a point to prove; starting the game by moving the ball quickly in attack, while fronting up in defence.
However, it was the Dolphins who got on the board first after a penalty conversion by Kotoni Staggs in the 4thminute.
This didn’t stop the Hunters relentless attack, and they managed to find a gap in the line in the 9thminute after a grubber from hooker Wartovo Puara sent rookie winger Junior Rau in for their first points of the game.
The Dolphins, who seemed a little rattled by the Hunters fast start early, managed to maintain their composure.
It wasn’t until the 31st minute that the Dolphins scored their first try of the game thanks to second rower Scott Schulte, off a short ball from the hooker, Sheldon Pitama.
Redcliffe captain Cameron Cullen then regained the lead in the 36th minute with his try, giving the home side a 14-6 advantage at the break.
While the Hunters were fast starters in the first half, the Dolphins maintained their momentum after the break, when fullback Tony Tumusa continued his try-scoring form and scooted over the line in the 47thminute from dummy half.
Despite being pleased with his team’s defence throughout the evening, ball control was something that Mogg said the Dolphins clearly needed to work on throughout the middle of the game.
“We trained really well during the week. We were obviously pretty disappointed with the control of the footy, but defensively I thought we were good,” Mogg said.
“I think we’ve got a bit to work on with the footy clearly, I know we scored 20 points, our completion rate was really low but our effort and defence I’m really happy with.”
The Hunters were giving Redcliffe plenty to contend with all game and gave themselves a number of opportunities to score out wide during the second half and were happy to chance their arm.
With four minutes to go – they tried kicking on the first tackle, turning the play into a foot race between Dolphins fullback Tumusa and their wingers, but they couldn’t nab themselves another try.
It remained a heated game right down to the last few seconds, with the frustrations of both sides reaching its tipping point just before full time.
“I really thought that they (the Hunters) came to play tonight, they were really physical, so it was a really, really good game of footy,” Mogg said.
“PNG are obviously a fantastic team, and if you don’t get the defensive part right then you’re no chance.”
While it remains early in the season, Mogg knows his team still has some room to improve before September comes.
“Our focus is just to take each game as they come, trying to improve and I thought we improved defensively tonight.”
Next weekend the Dolphins take on the Cutters in Mackay, while the Hunters play Souths Logan Magpies in Port Moresby.

 REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS 20 (Scott Schulte, Cameron Cullen, Tony Tumusa tries; Kotoni Staggs 4 goals) def PNG HUNTERS 6 (Junior Rau try; Paul Bobby Jnr goal) at Dolphin Stadium. 

*Emily Clooney is a QRL correspondent covering the Redcliffe Dolphins 

50 days on, World Health Organisation continues to serve communities affected by PNG quake

16 April 2018, Port Moresby -- Fifty days after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea (PNG), limited delivery of essential health services has resumed in earthquake-affected provinces.

Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative to Papua New Guineas, immunises a child in the Southern Highlands. 

Credit: WHO/JRivaca

 However, thousands remain vulnerable to health threats as they continue to live in crowded temporary settlements with inadequate access to clean water and medical services.
More than 500 000 were affected by the earthquake that struck on 26 February. At least 25 000 people have been displaced, while many communities continue to face compromised water and food supplies, significantly increasing threats of disease outbreaks.
Of the 77 health facilities that were damaged by the earthquake, only 10 remain closed.
However, services remain limited at most of the re-opened health facilities.

WHO on the ground within 24 hours 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) was on the ground in the affected provinces within 24 hours of the earthquake. WHO immediately activated the Incident Management System to coordinate the organisation’s response.
“WHO responded right away, deploying medicines and supplies to the earthquake-affected areas to treat those who were affected”, said Dr Zhang Zaixing, Incident Manager from WHO. 
“Our people were out there in the field, alongside the National Department of Health and partners, assessing the damage to health facilities and working to re-establish life-saving health services.”
WHO has designated the earthquake a Grade 1 Emergency and has deployed additional staff and supplies to the Country Office in PNG.
To date, WHO has repurposed and mobilised 19 national and international staff for the earthquake response, covering areas such as partner coordination, epidemiology, surveillance, information management, health operations, mental health, risk communication, administration and logistics.
WHO also delivered an Inter-Agency Emergency Health Kit containing essential medicines, supplies and equipment for 10 000 people for approximately three months. Diarrhoeal disease kits were pre-positioned in the country to help prepare for a potential outbreak and surgical supplies were sent to Tari and Mendi Hospitals.

WHO leads health response in support of Government 

Within 48 hours of the earthquake, the Health Cluster was activated at the national level in Port Moresby.
Twenty-five partner agencies are now working together to address the immediate medical needs of the affected populations. The Health Cluster provides a venue for the identification of needs and gaps and the prioritization of support, to reach as many people as possible and avoid duplication of work.
WHO co-chairs the Health Cluster, alongside the National Department of Health (NDOH).

A plan of action for a coordinated joint response

Within a week of the earthquake, a health response plan had been jointly developed by NDOH and WHO.
Within days, a Health Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), jointly managed by NDOH and WHO was established in Port Moresby to coordinate the health response at the national level.
Local-level EOCs were also established in Mendi and Tari to provide a hub to coordinate the efficient delivery of health services to the affected communities.
Field coordinators and emergency responders were mobilised by WHO and sent to the affected areas.
“The Health EOCs were instrumental in commanding and coordinating the public health response and in ensuring health services are reaching the people most in need”, said Dr Luo Dapeng.
Staff based at the EOCs also established an Early Warning, Alert, and Response System (EWARS) for the early detection of diseases and quick response to disease outbreaks.
Dr Joseph Birisi, Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority acknowledged the quick response of WHO and development partners in mobilising support toward the health response.
“I am grateful to the health partners, especially WHO, in providing direct support to the province,” Dr Birisi added.

High-level support from WHO for the people of PNG

WHO’s response to the PNG earthquake has the high-level support of the entire Organization. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, based in Manila, Philippines, provides backstopping assistance to the Country Office.
During her visit to Port Moresby in March, Dr Li Ailan, WHO Regional Emergency Director for the Western Pacific, reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to the Government and people of PNG and in scaling up in its support to the health response and recovery efforts.
 She also guided the WHO Country Office team in the response operations.

Fifty days after: onward to restoration and recovery

Earthquake-affected communities continue to face a high risk of communicable diseases, linked to overcrowding in evacuation centres, low immunisation rates and a lack of access to clean water and sanitation.
 There is also a continuing need to provide mental health and psyscosocial support to help people cope with the stress, loss and anxiety they have faced and return to their normal lives.
Reaching some of the affected communities over the past 50 days has been extremely challenging, due to both damaged  infrastructure and security constraints. While many of the roads have
re-opened, the security situation has now worsened, particularly in Tari.
Despite these challenges, WHO is determined to find ways, alongside the NDOH and partners, to deliver life-saving care to those who need it.
The organisation is committed to helping the country recover and rebuild.
“As Papua New Guinea marks 50 days since the earthquake struck, our thoughts are with those still suffering from the aftermath of this disaster.
"The job is not yet done, there are still massive efforts needed towards recovery. WHO will continue to support authorities to address the key health concerns and ensure that the affected provinces build back better and safer,” Dr Luo added.
WHO’s initial response to the earthquake in Papua New Guinea was funded by the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE).  Additional support was also provided through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the United Nations’ global emergency response fund to deliver funding quickly to humanitarian responders and kick-start life-saving action whenever and wherever crisis hit.
“We are extremely thankful to the donors who have contributed to the CFE, including Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"This emergency fund greatly help us do the immediate action to save lives”, added Dr Luo.
 “The people in the affected areas deserve our continued support as they remain determined to recover in the face of immense obstacles and personal tragedy.”